A woman was conned out of nearly £15,000 after falling victim to a romance scam which started on a Faceboom group.
Mary gave £14,500 to her 'partner' to help them out during a time of need, little she did know it was a con and he took the cash and disappeared without a trace.
Mary, whose name has been changed, joined a Facebook group for fans of a popular film and not long after she’d joined, Mary received a private message from another member of the group, called Bill.
They chatted on Facebook Messenger for a while, until Bill convinced Mary to move the conversation to WhatsApp, where their conversations became less about the film and more about their personal lives.
The two chatted daily and spoke over the phone on occasion. Bill also sent Mary photos of himself in different places, and some with a person he claimed was his daughter.
After chatting for a while, Bill told Mary his bank account had been blocked and he couldn't get to his money and shared images of apparent bank statements which showed he had £1million pending release.
Mary helped Bill out by sending gift cards and small chunks of cash however, things apparently took an even worse turn for Bill as he then told Mary his daughter was seriously ill and needed money urgently to cover her treatment.
Bill sent Mary pictures of his daughter lying in a hospital bed and she apparently spoke to the Doctor caring for her.
Bill asked Mary for help and she agreed to help cover the hospital bills and sent £14,500 to an obscure account. When Mary said she was unable to send more cash, Bill told her to take out a loan and this was where the scam became apparent.
Mary shared her concern with her daughter-in-law who persuaded her to not send any more cash and convinced her that she had been the victim of a romance scam from the start.
Lloyds Bank shared Mary's story along with a warning as the number of romance scam victims has risen by 30% over the last year with social media and online dating apps being a common source of the scam.
The high street bank says the average amount lost by each victim was around £8,234 and said the most common age group to fall victim are those between 65 and 74.
Lloyds shared the story of one woman who lost nearly £15,000 to her fake partner and urged customers to be vigilant and look out for the signs of a romance scam.
Lloyds Bank noted that "Romance Scams" often leave victims struggling with significant emotional trauma as not only do they have to deal with the financial impact, but they also have to come to terms with the fact that their relationship – which may have been cultivated over months or even years – is not real.
How does a typical romance scam work?
Lloyds highlighted that scammers usually target victims on social media platforms, particularly on Facebook, or dating apps, such as Tinder.
Once someone has been targeted the scammer might quickly try to move the conversation onto another private messaging platform, like WhatsApp.
Typically, the scammer may come across as "very caring and attentive" over a period of time to "build trust" and give the impression that the relationship is genuine.
Often they will claim to be living or working abroad to explain why they can’t meet in person and they may invent reasons why they can’t turn their camera on during calls.
Eventually, they will start to tell stories about family or legal issues, business problems or medical bills.
Usually, the amounts could be small, to begin with, but over time they convince their victim to send more and more money.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank said: “The sad truth is there was never any genuine connection, with criminals ruthlessly targeting multiple victims at the same time, and disappearing with the money as soon as they get found out.
“While online dating should be a fun and empowering experience, it’s vital that people are able to spot the warning signs, to keep both themselves and their loved ones safe."
Five warnings signs of a possible romance scam
- Sudden online romance with someone who seems a perfect match
- Profile pictures that appear professional or ‘model-like’
- Quickly moving the conversation to a different platform or app
- Reluctance to appear on camera or meet in person
- Requests for financial support, whatever the story or amounts
Liz added: “If you’ve started an online relationship and the discussion turns to money – regardless of the reason or the amounts involved – then alarm bells should be ringing.
“Never send money to people you’ve never met in person, no matter how much you’ve spoken online. Talking to a real-life friend or family member can be a good way to sense check what’s going on.”
